Get to the Point Training

The word or, rather, condition "normal" undergoes redefining day by day. We all want to resume our way of life with its predictable highs and lows, convenient challenges and welcome struggles. I'm doing okay. Fear has been replaced by caution and I prepare not to give up my freedom but to secure my liberty. How na�ve to think no one would determine to crush it. Beauty and goodness threaten jealous and evil forces.

Morning brings with it a wrinkle on my forehead and a question I'm yet unable to articulate. Got things to do and places to go, that I know for sure. Brush your teeth and survey the horizons. No smoke. Let's get to work.

Have you been exercising? It's tough to fight gravity when the days are heavy. It's hard to focus when the mind is hazy and roving. I missed a few workouts myself and I'm presumably the unforgiving taskmaster.

You've heard my sermon before; exercise and eat right for good. It is not clever or original, profound or poetic but it's exact. Today, more than ever, we need to be exercising, at home, on the streets, at the park or in the gym. I'm a gym rat and for those who frequent such savory establishments I have listed five condensed workouts I call "Slumpbusters." They are immediate, to the point and effective for focusing hazy and roving minds and stimulating weary bodies for a precious short time.

Slumpbusters are typically superset combinations that stray from the norm yet retain integrity. Supersetting is a style of training where two or more exercises that complement each other are performed one after another to enhance training output. This multi-set training not only condenses our workout time, but also increases our productivity considerably. Slumpbusters are designed for temporary use (a day, a week), but can be modified to fit into your training schedule regularly if it feels right. Because they're novel, they're fresh to the mind, fresh to the body.

With some exceptions, the slumpbusting combinations listed here can be performed using the pyramid system of reps and weight, or an 8-10 rep range using a moderate fixed weight. Four sets of any slumpbuster is a minimum. If you're pumping and having fun, take it to 5, 6 or 7. One combination, if pushed, might be enough to maintain your well-being and connection with the gym. Two combos can be mixed according to your needs, desire and energy.

10 SETS OF 10 REPS
Nothing intricate here — just dogged set after set with ensuing momentum. Works well with basic bench, squat, standing bar curl, press behind neck and lat row, although any exercise you dream up will do. Start with light weights for 10 sets of 10. As you proceed with thirty-30 second intervals the workload gets tougher until 10 reps are a delirious challenge — forced reps, and partner assists are allowed. This method of operation can effectively break growth plateaus by periodic implementation over a six-week period.

UP & DOWN THE RACK
This bittersweet, pumping/burning dumbbell routine can bring tears of bliss and tears of tortured submission to your eyes. Curling, pressing, pulling, the scheme is the same: a total crunch of 8 to 10 sets in 4 to 5 minutes, virtually nonstop. Start light for 15 reps heading up the rack in 2.5 or 5-pound jumps, each consecutive set done to max with very reasonable form (minimal cheating overlooked) until a two-rep set is reached, then head back downhill, no coasting allowed until your fortitude or blood sugar gives out. A partner is helpful to spur you on, though the silent and brave who go the trip alone are to be admired. The great burn and ache last for days and informs you that this crazy slumpbuster can only be done once or twice a month.

BENT-ARM PULLOVER & PRESS — BARBELL CURL
A powerful and tough combination that hits the whole upper body, from longitudinal abdominal to major biceps and triceps, from serratus and lat to pec and front deltoid. Standing barbell curls done with thrust put a substantial demand on the erectors and upper shoulder cage — a lot of pump, a lot of heavy breathing, a lot of circulation.

BARBELL CURL — CLOSE-GRIP BENCH PRESS — PULLDOWN
Pecs and front deltoids are involved but the main focus is on biceps and triceps. The pulldowns offer relief from the demanding curl and press, and continues voluminous blood flow.

DB CLEAN & PRESS — STIFF-ARM DUMBBELL PULLOVER
The dumbbell clean & press is seldom done 'cuz it's ancient and tough. Nevertheless, it's one of the best single bodybuilding exercises, working erectors and shoulders, traps and back for power and muscular density. The stiff-arm pullover performed with moderate weight for concentrated reps allows you to re-oxygenize as you work the lats, serratus and minor biceps and triceps.

Exercise, work out, train, call it what you may, but do it. It strengthens the body, relieves the mind and restores hope. Ask those who do.